A sewing machine having many different stitch patterns stored therein to be selectively read out to be stitched is generally required to have a pattern indicating device and a pattern selecting device. A sewing machine has been known as shown in FIG. 7 in which a pattern indicating table 14 and a group of pattern selecting keys 13 are provided adjacent to each other on a front face of the sewing machine 11. Further a sewing machine has been known as shown in FIG. 8 in which a pattern indicating table 24 is provided on the underside of a top cover 15 of the sewing machine which is opened to disclose the pattern indicating table 24 while a group of pattern selecting keys 23 are provided on the front face of the sewing machine.
So many patterns, for example, more than one thousand patterns indicated on the front face of the machine will detract the outer appearance of the sewing machine. Further so many patterns indicated on the underside of the top plate 15 of the sewing machine will make it difficult for an operator to select a pattern because of the large distance between the pattern indicating table and the pattern selecting keys.